I've checked with an ad agency. We can probably raise the funds we need to operate FR at our current level and at the current market price for online advertising if we run a banner ad at the top of every page and at least one rectangular ad in the above the fold body of the page and a couple rectangular ads in the sidebar. If that doesn't generate enough revenue, we can also run pop ups or pop unders and we can even run audio and video ads if need be. But of course, if we go full bore commercial, we'd have to insure strict copyright compliance with very brief excerpting of all articles to avoid lawsuits. And the agency would require that we install a filter to censor out any bad or unacceptable words in our posts.

Or, of course, there's always the membership model. We could setup a members only system where paying members get full access and non-paying members get throttled back, etc.

I don't like either of the above models and think we'd soon lose a lot of our readers and participants. Of course that may happen anyway if we can't fund it and if we cannot get our equipment problem under control, or if my refusal to vote for or support an abortionist/homosexualist/statist who has plans to install ObamaCare, er, I mean RomneyCare into all 50 states runs everyone off.

The donation model has served us very well since 1997 when we first started using it. It's very clean, uncomplicated and we attract participants who perhaps can't afford membership dues but do want to join the discussion and join our rallies, protests, prayer sessions, etc. And the advertising model would probably bring in the revenue, but it comes with strings attached.

I'm sure there are other ways and ways to combine features of various models, sell books, cds, gear, etc, offer no ads for paid subscribers, etc, even ISP services, but all of these also complicate matters.

I'm an old dog and I like to avoid new tricks, new complications, additional overhead, additional accounting, additional rules and regulations, etc, wherever possible. I like to stick to simplicity and with what works.

Thank you all very much for your continuing participation and support.

The entry level question about advertising is how it would affect FRs legal status. Would it violate the rules FR agreed to to settle any lawsuit over posting published material? Get us into gray areas in that respect?

43
posted on 04/19/2012 2:15:01 PM PDT
by conservatism_IS_compassion
(The idea around which ¬ďliberalism" coheres is that NOTHING actually matters except PR.)

or if my refusal to vote for or support an abortionist/homosexualist/statist who has plans to install ObamaCare, er, I mean RomneyCare into all 50 states runs everyone off.

It's not your refusal to support Romney that's the problem.

It's your zotting everyone who says they are going to vote for Romney over Obama that's the problem especially since many of them are long-time residents here and have been loyal and generous donors.

Now, I don't like Romney. Come Tuesday, I'm voting for Gingrich. Then what?

Let's say Romney winds up being the nominee as is highly likely. You expect to have a thriving political site with discussion banned of either Romney or Obama this election year?

If Obama wins I think it's over for this nation. If Romney wins I think we are going to come back especially as how his coattails will bring in a lot of good people at the local level -- assuming of course that people who think like you (and me) don't stay home.

It's not about personalities or individuals anyway. It's about ideas and our ideas are on Romney's side.

So yes, I'm voting for Romney. Feel free to zot although I'm not asking for one.

Forget the advertising as I don't think people will be coming here with discussion banned regarding the presidential election.

If you want to save this site, what I'd suggest is you do a mea culpa and invite the Romney people back. You don't have to say you're going to support him, just that your not going to zot discussion of the guy.

44
posted on 04/19/2012 2:16:22 PM PDT
by Tribune7
(GAS WAS $1.85 per gallon on the day Obama was Inaugurated! - - freeper Gaffer)

Jim. I am sorry I only donate $10 per month. I was hoping to double it last year but instead of a pay raise I got to keep my job. Others in my company did not and now my taxes have increased even though my income has not.

I would not complain if you allow ads but I worry that the advertisers may try to throttle FR and some of our posts. Although most of our language is fine I fear the “hard” elimination of some words may lead to the elimination of certain topics to placate advertisers who have proved themselves cowards when it comes to any sort of controversy. If FR becomes too reliant on the ad sales it could lead to the demise of our free association on this site.

Our Country is sliding towards the edge of the cliff and I think FR’s open debate is what is needed more than ever during these times.

Yes, it could be done. But again, we subject ourselves to the online ad market (advertising rates go up and down with the economy and sometimes tank completely) and there are no guarantees that they can sell enough ads for our account anyway. We also subject ourselves to the demands of our advertisers, put our forum at risk if we are competing with our sources for advertising revenue, puts more legal pressure on us, and lots of readers will simply take steps to avoid the ads altogether which will crimp us even further. Afraid we’ll end up having to do both or several combinations of all the above forever. Hoping we can just continue to keep it simple and remain non-commercial as we are.

Wow! That is incredible. It looks like a lot of FReepers are free riding. It would seem to me that if you have advertisers, you would be at their mercy about what is said or posted. Like in NASCAR, you can’t say anything that would offend the bill payers.

Well....I'm adverse to seeing you take on advertisement. Because of the control you give up.

For those of us who post frequently, it's already onerous enough to try to avoid copyright infringement...while the ads wouldn't bother me, I'm also against your giving up control which it seems would be part of the ad package.

I'd just as soon...see the non-paying FREEPER's pony up...$3 a month.

I'd agree.

Jim, one thing I've wondered during the past week or so...is there any way to discover how many of the FReepers who are trying to wrest control of the content of FR from you donate to the site? I'm really disgusted with the constant diatribes against you and the continued posting of Romney support against your oft-stated rule against this support.

I recall a certain group of posters a couple of years ago who proudly proclaimed they would withhold donations unless you censored their pet subject being discussed. Somehow, many of them are no longer here since you didn't bow to their demands and despite their threats to "bring FR down", we're still here.

I also think a "$" next to the FReeper handle while I would approve, might be a tad discriminatory.

Frankly, I think freeloaders could afford the price of a Starbuck's once a month in order to participate on the best conservative site on the internet. That said, if they want to join in with the "I deserve that YOUR money is MY money Obama-mindset" it's on them.

54
posted on 04/19/2012 2:33:20 PM PDT
by greyfoxx39
(I do not expect the (FR) house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided-Jim Robinson)

I like the idea of “pay to post” - should be relatively easy to implement and seems to walk the fine line between various competing goals. Just by having posted you’d stand out as someone who has paid their way.

Write a Book on the History of Free Republic. Talk to Jeff and Matt/Travis about how to format it and get it on Kindle. I know a large number of Freepers would buy it and I bet you would get a lot of sales outside of Freeperdom also.

Nice thing about doing a book is Freepers can use the Amazon Associates system to help promote the book.

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